Gormiti Love
by finalfanaticgorm
Summary: A series of unrelated Lucas/Gina and Jessica/Toby cute romantic and friendship oneshots (I will specify whether any of them are related).
1. A: (Amazing) LucasxGina

Description: Shooting stars may be amazing but not as amazing as the wish they granted.

Gina rushed nervously to the Tripp's house where Lucas had told her to meet him. She was wearing a knee-length, forest-green strapless dress with a black belt around her waist. She carried an emerald-green clutch handbag in her right hand whilst her left hand busied itself with her hair which fell to her shoulders in soft curls and was secured by sequinned hair grips.

She reached her destination and knocked on the door. Whilst she waited, she removed her green ballerina pumps and massaged her feet. She inwardly praised her decision not to wear her heels as her feet were already aching.

Jessica answered the door and let out a little squeal when she saw Gina. "Wow, you look amazing!" She then yelled up the stairs, "Lucas, are you ready? Gina's here!"

Gina smiled, stepping gracefully over the threshold and into the warmth. All of a sudden, they heard a thud and a muffled "Ow!"

"Lucas, seriously, I know you want to see your girlfriend but doors do have handles which you're supposed to turn, creating an opening effect." They heard Toby joke.

"Leave him alone, Toby, he's nervous, even though this is their third or fourth date!" Nick joined in, chuckling.

Gina and Jessica started giggling quietly. It sounded as though Lucas had been so eager to see Gina that he had run straight into the door.

"Wow, you look beautiful," a hushed voice said. Gina looked up and saw Lucas who was staring at her as though she was the only person in the world.

"You don't look so bad yourself."she complimented. He was wearing a dark green shirt and black jeans, somehow managing to make casual look handsome.

He walked down the stairs towards her and offered his arm. " A night of wonders await,my Lady." He said, smiling. Gina smiled back; he was quite possibly the sweetest boy she knew.

" Have fun! " Jessica yelled after them as they left. The couple waved in response and Gina called out, "We will!"

" So what's your favourite Disney film? "

Lucas and Gina were sat in a restaurant, eating a delicious meal which Lucas had insisted on paying for, despite Gina's protestations. Secretly, however, she was pleased.

" Bambi," Lucas answered easily. " I love seeing all the woodland creatures, especially Flower. "

" Your favorite character is a skunk!?" Gina asked incredulously, though she couldn't keep the grin off her face. His obsession with the environment was becoming very endearing to her.

" Mine's Pinocchio; I love Jiminy Cricket." Gina smiled. "I suppose we'd better get going." She added sadly. Their date had gone by a lot quicker than she had expected. Lucas nodded and, linking hands, they left the restaurant, having already paid for their meal.

The couple walked down the street when Lucas stopped suddenly and gazed up at the sky. "I used to stargaze all the time when I was a kid," he explained to Gina. "I always got really excited whenever I saw a shooting star. "

Gina smiled reminiscently, having also stargazed in her childhood. For a long time, it was the only thing she would do.

Flashback

As long as Gina could remember, she had wished for a friend. That wish had come true the moment she arrived in Venture Falls and had met Jessica. Now, however, at the age of twelve, she had a very different agenda.

She sat at her window as she did every night without fail and looked for a shooting star, having always believed that her wish was more likely to come true if she wished on a shooting star.

She spotted one, a flash of white streaking across the midnight-black sky, and began to recite the rhyme which had embedded itself into her head from an early age:

"Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I may, I wish I might. Have the wish I wish tonight." She chanted, squeezing her eyes shut as she made her wish...

End of Flashback

Lucas suddenly grabbed hold of Gina's arm and pointed up into the sky. "It's amazing, isn't it?" He asked ,regarding the sky with awe.

"Yes," Gina agreed, smiling gently. "But it's not as amazing as the wish it granted." Lucas looked curious so she elaborated, "I wished that the one I loved would love me too."

Lucas approached Gina and gently kissed her. When they broke apart, he whispered, "I love you, Gina."

Resting her head against his shoulder, the couple continued to watch the starry sky as Gina replied, "And I love you too, Lucas."


	2. A: (Argument) JessicaxToby

Description: An argument leads to hidden feelings being confessed.

"So who do you reckon Jessica's going on that date with?" Nick and Lucas both inwardly groaned. Toby had been asking the same question for the past fifteen minutes and, to be quite frank, they were both starting to get rather annoyed.

"For the last time, we don't know!" Nick all but shouted at his brother, his patience finally snapping. Toby stared at his brother and, to their great relief, stopped his constant questioning.

"Hey, guys!" Jessica said cheerfully, sitting down next to Toby. She looked at them curiously. "What were you talking about?" She added, regarding them all with suspicion.

Lucas and Nick both frantically shook their heads at Toby, silently warning him not to say anything but he ignored them and asked, "Who are you going on that date with?"

Jessica reached for a piece of paper and at first, chose not to reply. When she saw Lucas and Nick's faces, however, she sighed and said, "Well, not that it's any of your business, but I'm going with Nate Roberts."

There was a stunned pause before all three boys yelled, "What?" Nate Roberts, who had floppy brown hair, sparkling green eyes and a cheeky smile, was the second-most popular boy in their year. He had a reputation for dating girls, making them think he liked them before humiliating them in front of the entire school. Everyone knew that, which was why Nick, Toby and Lucas had reacted so badly.

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you?" She asked, frowning. She hadn't expected them to have such an extreme reaction but she also hadn't expected them to be over the moon either.

Toby looked at her incredulously, "Surely you know what he's like?" He asked, Nick and Lucas nodding in agreement. "You must remember Amy Fisher."

Amy Fisher had been one of Nate's girlfriends but, after he humiliated her which led to her being bullied on a regular basis, she moved to Canada along with her family. This had been a similar fate for lots of other girls who had been taken in by his charm and good looks.

"Things have changed since then!" Jessica insisted stubbornly. "He's different now and he actually cares about me!" She got up and moved to sit next to Nate.

Toby watched her go before muttering, "Sure he does," under his breath. He then proceeded to glare at Nate, his expression stormy.

"What's his problem?" Nate asked Jessica as she sat down, jerking his head towards Toby. Jessica looked over and saw him glaring relentlessly at Nate.

" Just Toby being Toby," she sighed before turning back to Nate and adding, "So what time are we meeting again?"

Nate smiled at her, "Four o'clock at my house."

Jessica nodded and got up as the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. There was a sudden rush as everyone in the classroom fought to get out for lunch. She smiled at Nate before hurrying to catch up with Toby, Nick and Lucas.

" Hey, Jess!" Lucas greeted, Nick smiled at her and Toby merely nodded. She smiled back at them and sat down, picking nervously at her food. "Are you okay?"

"I-I don't know," she admitted, before dropping her fork. She disappeared under the table to retrieve it and emerged red in the face. "I guess I'm a little nervous; this is my first date after all. I just want it to be perfect."

Toby opened his mouth to say something but Nick, fearing that it might set off another round of bickering, swiftly kicked him under the table. Eyes watering, he glared at his younger brother who gave him an almost unnoticeable headshake.

"You guys coming up to next lesson?" Jessica asked, having finished her lunch. They had History in ten minutes for their final lesson of the day.

"We'll be there in five minutes," Nick replied. "Go on up and we'll meet you there." As soon as Jessica had left, he turned to Toby and asked, "Seriously, what is your problem? Can't you at least try to be happy for her?"

"Yeah sure," Toby snapped sarcastically. "I'm thrilled that she's going on a date with a guy who gets his kicks from breaking girls' hearts. People like him never change. So yes, I'm pleased that she's making what I'd call the biggest mistake of her life!" It was the most he had spoken all lunchtime. "Anyway," he added quietly. "We'd better get to History before we're late. I don't think I can take another lecture from Mr Smith for tardiness."

In the lesson, Toby sat absorbed in his own thoughts. He was annoyed with Jessica because she was naive enough to believe that Nate had changed. He was frustrated with Nick and Lucas because they had completely dismissed his opinion at lunchtime completely, telling him that he was worrying for nothing. Most of all, however, he was mad at Nate because-. Well, to tell the truth, he wasn't quite sure why he was mad at Nate. He figured it was because Jessica was his best friend but that made him sound jealous and he definitely wasn't jealous. No way.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by someone incessantly tapping on his shoulder. Nick and everyone else in the classroom was staring at him. Mr Smith cleared his throat and turned to address them.

"Well, now that you've decided to grace us with your presence, Mr Tripp, perhaps you'd like to tell us the names of Henry VIII's wives and what their fates were?"

Toby sighed with relief. It was lucky for him that he actually knew the answers to this question, thanks to his mother having drilled the rhyme into his and Nick's heads when they were younger.

"He divorced Catherine of Aragon because she had a daughter, Mary I, and he wanted a son to rule as king after he died. He had Anne Boleyn beheaded after accusing her of being a witch as she also gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth I. Jane Seymour died after giving birth to Edward VI. He divorced Anne of Cleves because she didn't look very attractive, he said that she resembled a horse. Catherine Howard, who was only nineteen, was beheaded for flirting with other men. Finally, Catherine Parr survived because Henry died before her, aged 55, and she went on to marry Thomas Seymour."

Mr Smith nodded, satisfied with the response and ordered the class to pack away their things as it was almost the end of the lesson. The bell rang and when he announced, "Class dismissed!," the students all left.

The four friends walked home together as usual. Jessica felt more nervous than ever. She turned to the others as they approached her street. "Well, bye guys," she said as she prepared to go to her own house to get ready for her date.

Lucas and Nick both wished her luck and invited her over once she was free. Toby didn't say anything, hurting Jessica's feelings a little but she tried not to show it. She hadn't been able to keep the sad look off her face for long enough as Lucas and Nick both noticed it. After she left, Nick demanded, "Okay, Toby, what is wrong with you? I know you don't like Nate but this is starting to go a bit far. You really hurt Jessica's feelings just then."

Toby turned and grabbed Nick by the collar frustratedly, responding angrily. "Do you know what, Nick? I don't know what's wrong with me! Of course it has nothing to do with the fact that my best friend is going to get her heart broken because he doesn't care about her! I don't trust him; you may have all convinced yourselves that he's changed but I can see past his charm and good looks! He doesn't deserve Jessica and she definitely doesn't deserve him!" His sudden burst of anger slowly ebbed away and he said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Don't worry about it, Toby," Lucas interrupted. "If anything happens to Jessica, we'll make Nate pay for it, right?" The brothers both nodded. "Alright then, now let's get home, I'm starved!" The three boys raced toward the Tripp's house, their worries momentarily forgotten.

Jessica sat across from Nate in the posh restaurant. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder knee-length pale blue dress, which had sequins around the waist. She had her blonde hair up in an elegant updo, complimented by a blue butterfly hairclip.

The conversation between them was rather stilted at first. They talked about what they liked and didn't like, what they wanted to be, etc. "So what do your parents do?" Nate asked, smiling charmingly at her.

A little flustered, Jessica stuttered, "W-Well, my dad's an architect a-and my mom is a midwife." She silently cursed herself for sounding so stupid in front of him. She managed to clear her head as she asked, "What do your parents do?"

Nate responded easily, "My dad is head of a massive engineering firm and my mom is Chief Sergeant of the local police force. They technically don't need to work because they both inherited millions from their parents but my mom was raised to believe that you have to earn your money so she got a job and convinced my dad to get one too so he'd understand her ethic."

Jessica nodded and smiled. Nate cleared his throat and stood up, "Well, I have one final suprise for you." He laid a twenty dollar bill on the table and waved the waiter over. After they'd paid, they left the restaurant, Jessica wondering what else he could have in store.

The two of them walked down the street toward what looked like the park. Nate turned a corner and went in the opposite direction toward the hills that overlooked it. They both walked up the path on the hill until they found a bench to sit on. Jessica gasped as she looked around her. The scenery looked so beautiful with the glowing red of the sunset accentuating each and every part of it.

Nate smiled at her, "Well, what do you think?" He asked, not sounding nervous at all. Jessica gulped as he approached her, his green eyes fixed intently on her, waiting for her response.

"I-I love it. It's amazing!" She stammered, a little uncomfortable with the fact that he was moving closer toward her.

Nate continued to move toward Jessica until there was only a small space between them. "This has been a great night. I really enjoyed it." He told her, before leaning in and kissing her. Jessica, confused by what was happening, allowed him to kiss her before gently prising herself out of his embrace. He smiled at her, not noticing the frown on her face. "Would you like to do this again sometime?"

Jessica looked at him in alarm. "I-I'll think about it. B-Bye, and thanks for the meal and everything." She said before leaving as quickly as possible. She felt very conflicted; he was a nice guy but she hadn't felt anything at all when he'd kissed her. Nothing, not even a single spark. Not that she believed in true love, mind you.

She arrived at the Tripp's house and let herself in, upon seeing that the door was unlocked and the car was nowhere in sight. As she entered the living room, she was slightly dismayed to see that Toby was the only one there. "So how did it go?" He asked, sounding as though he couldn't have cared less.

"I doubt that you actually care but it went really well." Jessica told him, trying to keep her voice as mild as possible. "In fact, he asked me out-"

"What?" Toby interrupted incredulously. "Please tell me you didn't say yes."

"No, I said I'd think about it." Jessica responded, frowning. "Anyway it's none of your business whether I go out with him or not!"

"You can't seriously have deluded yourself into thinking he actually cares about you!" Their voices were starting to get louder and louder.

"Well, maybe he does care about me!" Jessica yelled, sounding close to tears. "Anyway why do you care so much anyway?"

Toby turned around and yelled, "Because I love you, you-" He trailed off awkwardly as Nick and Lucas walked. His confession had shocked them both into a temporary silence.

"What's with all the yelling?" They asked together.

"Y-You love me?" Jessica asked Toby who nodded numbly in response. "Yeah, right! This is probably another one of your jokes and it really isn't funny!" She gulped as Toby approached her slowly, his hand reaching for her arm. She tried to dart out of his reach but he was too fast for her.

"Well, if you think I'm joking, I may as well take advantage of it," he murmured before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her.

Jessica was now more confused than ever. Unlike Nate's kiss, Toby's kiss awakened feelings in her that she had tried to hide for years. She figured that part of the reason she had been so determined to make things work with Nate is that it would make it easier for her to hide her growing feelings for Toby. It hadn't worked though. As soon as his lips had met hers, she felt all the sparks that she hadn't felt with Nate.

Eventually they broke apart and Toby said, "Do you think I'm joking now?" He then walked away. Nick and Lucas watched Jessica carefully as she approached Toby, who was expecting her to hit him or yell at him. What he wasn't expecting, however, was for her to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him with equal passion. He responded with such enthusiasm that he practically lifted her off her feet.

"I don't understand those two sometimes," Lucas told Nick, shaking his head. "One minute they're at each other's throats, the next they're kissing like the argument never happened!" Nick laughed loudly, causing Toby and Jessica to jump apart, as they realised where they were.

"I have to tell you something," Jessica told Toby who gave her his undivided attention. "The reason I went on that date with Nate was to hide the fact that I'd fallen for you. I didn't-"

"You didn't know I'd fallen for you." Toby said softly, holding her in his arms. Jessica rested her head against him, feeling as though she belonged there and always had.

"What are you going to tell Nate?" Nick asked curiously.

Jessica frowned. She hadn't thought about that at all. However Toby had an answer, "Easy! Just tell him you've found someone better! Tell him you've had some time to think and you really don't feel the same way." She looked at him, smiled and nodded as he hugged her.

"By the way," he asked, smiling at her. "I know this is probably the wrong time to ask but will you-"

"Yes!" She said enthusiastically, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and saw Lucas and Nick exchange grins.

"Yeah! Woohoo!" They cheered. Finally, after years of what they had believed to be unrequited love, they knew of each other's feelings and over time, that love would only strengthen.

"Who'd have thought all that would come from an argument?" Lucas asked, causing them all to laugh heartily.


	3. B: (Babysitting) LucasxGina

Description: Lucas and Gina find themselves having a conversation about babies and end up being asked to babysit Tori. Needless to say, havoc ensues.

"Had you thought about, you know, having kids someday?"

The question took Lucas completely by suprise. Sure, he wanted kids but it was a terrifying prospect-becoming a parent. "Yeah, one day, but don't you think it's a little early?"

Gina crossed her arms and stared at her husband. "No, I don't," she said quietly. "Remember how many times Toby and Jessica had to try before they ended up with Tori?"

As a matter of fact, Lucas _did _remember. That had been a year or so of heartbreak and tears. Now they had their daughter, who, come to think of it, Lucas was pretty sure was almost a year old. He felt bad, not knowing the exact age of his own goddaughter but he was sure she wouldn't mind.

"I can't believe she's nearly a year old already!" Gina gushes excitedly. Lucas opened his mouth to reply but, on closer inspection, he saw that she held her phone tightly to her ear. Judging by her mannerisms, she was talking to Jessica. Lucas couldn't hear what Jessica was saying so he focused on the side of the conversation he could hear:

"What? The babysitter's sick? Oh no, that's terrible! Wait, you're not going to cancel that night out, are you?"

"We'll do it! Lucas and I can babysit! You guys deserve some time alone. Besides how much havoc can an extraordinarily advanced toddler create?"

"Don't be silly! We'll be fine! We'll pick her up this afternoon, Jess. Okay, bye!" Gina hung up and turned to face Lucas, whose expression was terrified. "What's wrong with you?"

"P-Please tell me you didn't just say we'd babysit Tori?" Lucas asked in a voice that made it clear he already knew the answer. Gina frowned and nodded, not seeing why Lucas was getting so worked up.

"Come on, we'd better go and pick her up," she muttered, grabbing her car keys and heading out the door. Lucas shook his head and followed her, hoping that Gina knew what she was getting them into.

At the Tripp's house, they were greeted by a cry of, "Auntie Gina, Uncle Wucas! You're here!" The unmistakable sound of toddler footsteps could be heard as a small blonde girl ran towards them. Gina lifted her up and smiled.

"My, haven't you grown?" She asked the wriggling toddler, setting her down on the ground. Tori nodded her head proudly, bouncing up and down excitedly. Gina wondered where she got all her energy from.

"Hello Uncle Wucas." Tori greeted, turning to Lucas and fixing him with an adorable smile that only toddlers could pull off. Lucas chuckled quietly to himself. Despite Tori being what Gina called "an extraordinarily advanced toddler," she still made cute little mistakes when she spoke, like most toddlers. Unlike the others, however, Tori could already comprise simple sentences, not that many made sense!

"Tori!" All three of them jumped and turned around to see Toby giving them a stern look. "How many times have I told you not to go running out the door like that? What if it wasn't Lucas and Gina, what if it was a bad person who took you away? You'd never see-"

"Geez, Toby, relax, she's fine!" Lucas laughed, amused. Toby was worse than a mare with her first foal (now that was an experience Lucas really wished he could forget). In other words, he was extremely overprotective which, at times like this, was highly amusing but could probably end up being really annoying.

Tori ran to Toby who scooped her up and carried her inside, calling over his shoulder, "Well, don't just stand there like lost lemons, come in!" Lucas and Gina hastily obeyed, stepping over the array of baby toys on the floor.

Jessica entered the room and made a beeline for them, carrying two mugs of coffee "Sorry about everything being so last-minute," she said apologetically. "You guys are great for doing this! Hey, when you have kids, I prom-"

Lucas interrupted her by suddenly coughing and choking on his coffee. The choking/coughing fit lasted for about ten minutes before he managed to get control of himself.

Toby and Jessica frowned. Something about this was bothering Lucas but what could it possibly be? Jessica nudged her husband and discreetly pointed at Lucas, mouthing "Talk to him," before dragging Gina out the door, saying something about baby seats.

Toby sighed and approached his friend. "You okay?"

Lucas jumped, "Y-Yeah, why?"

"Seriously, Lucas," Toby began. "If you really don't want to babysit, I underst-"

"It's not that!" Lucas began. "It's-never mind, you'll think I'm stupid!"

Toby's reply was simple. "Try me."

Lucas sighed and sat down, "Well, I want to be a father one day but now is just too early for me. I can't be a parent now! I didn't even remember how old Tori was! They grow up too fast and it scares me! What am I going to do?"

Toby was confused. As far as he knew, Gina wasn't pregnant; it probably would have been the first thing she'd announce to them if that was the case. All of a sudden, it hit him, "You're worried that if Gina spends time with Tori, it'll make her broody?" When Lucas nodded in reply, Toby gave him a sympathetic look. "Why didn't you say something then?"

"Because it would have crushed her." Lucas replied quietly. Toby clapped a hand on his shoulder and stood up, facing him. "Besides, it's alright for you; you're a natural at this and you don't worry about anything.

"I don't worry about anything?" Toby began incredulously. "You're kidding, right? I worry about everything now; occupational hazard of being a father, you know." He started pacing whilst he spoke and Lucas noticed that Tori had definitely inherited her father's inability to stay still. "When I found out Jessica was pregnant and there was a chance the baby might actually make it to full term, I was terrified. Scared of potentially losing them both but a tiny part of me was also scared of embracing the responsibility that came with parenthood. Of course, that flew straight out the window once I'd held her. I knew at that moment that I wouldn't be a perfect father but I was going to be the best one I possibly could. When you have a daughter, you see, you'd do anything just to keep them happy and safe. One day, you'll understand."

Lucas felt awful. He was panicking over potentially being a father when he had nothing to worry about. He nodded numbly in response and they both stood as Jessica and Gina came back into the room.

"We're ready to go!" Gina smiled at him. He stood up, waved to Jessica and Toby and they both walked to their car where Tori was already strapped in, bouncing impatiently. "Bye, guys, have a great time! Tori'll be alright with us, won't you?" The little girl nodded her head enthusiastically, causing the adults to laugh at her earnest expression.

As they drove back to their house, Tori sat back in her seat. This was going to be the best fun ever! No parents to tell her "No." It would be great.

"Well, we're here!" Gina called out, as she and Lucas got out the car. She walked round the back and unfastened Tori from the baby seat, lifting her out and setting her down on the ground. The little girl looked at her curiously, blue eyes glowing brightly with the inquisitiveness only children seemed to possess. "Go on!" Gina said kindly, and with that, Tori raced into the house as fast as her tiny legs could carry her.

"Are you sure about this?" Lucas asked, earning himself a quizzical look, courtesy of Gina. "After all, she is Toby's daughter; who knows what sort of mischief she'll get into."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Gina replied calmly. "All we have to do is keep our heads. Everything will be fine, you'll see..."

_Hours later_

"Oh no, where is she? Lucas, what are we going to do? We've lost her!" Gina panicked, rushing around the house and yelling Tori's name.

"Calm down, Gina. We don't even know if we have lost her yet." Lucas said, trying to calm his panicking wife.

"But we've looked everywhere! Where else could she be?" Gina started to sob and Lucas started towards her. "I'm a terrible babysitter; how can I look after a child of my own when I can't even look after my own goddaughter for a few hours?"

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Lucas stood up and walked toward the hallway. "I'll get it," he said, stepping over a stuffed bunny toy. "It's probably Toby and Jessica here to pick up Tori." He opened the door and Toby and Jessica piled in. "Look, now before you panic or anything, I can totally explain!"

"Explain what?" They said together, giving Lucas the patented glare that meant "if you don't tell us what's going on, then you will suffer our wrath!" Lucas shuddered under their gaze; their combined glares downright freaked him out.

"Well, you see, the thing is, we've kind of lo-"

"Mommy! Daddy!" A high pitched cry sounded as Tori whizzed through the kitchen door like an arrow, almost knocking Lucas off his feet, and jumping straight into Toby's arms. "Uncle Wucas and Auntie Gina are really bad at hide and seek. They couldn't find me at all!" She giggled, before letting out a huge yawn. It seemed that spending the whole day hidden had worn her out because, seconds later, she had fallen asleep.

Gina entered the hallway and in hushed voices, they both explained to Jessica what had happened. Once it had become clear to all of them what had been going on, they all started laughing, only stopping when Toby hissed, "Keep it down! Tori's asleep!"

Lucas laughed, "Whatever you say, Mother Goose," which created a fresh round of laughter.

After Jessica and Toby, who was carrying a sleeping Tori, left, Lucas turned and hugged Gina. "I want kids one day, just not right now. I just don't think I'll be ready ,but in a year or so, maybe?"

The look Gina gave him was filled with relief. "Thank goodness! I'm not ready yet either! I thought I was, until we had to babysit Tori. Maybe a year or two will help us harness our parenting skills."

"Well, to be fair, Tori is her father's daughter. Even they can't handle her sometimes!" Lucas told her, making a promise that when he did have a child, he would be the best father he could possibly be.

_Approximately 1 year later_

It was on January 22, 2020 that Louise Charlotte Wanson was born. Lucas had been terrified as the labour had been premature. The look of utter relief on his face when the midwife told him that both mother and baby were doing well was clear to everyone.

The moment he held Louise in his arms, Lucas understood what Toby meant. Being a parent was the best feeling; he had someone to look up to him. She relied upon him for protection.

"I'll do my best. I'll protect you both." He told his wife and newborn daughter. "I'll be the best I can for you."


	4. B: (Breathless) JessicaxToby

Description: After an attempt to keep Jessica safe goes badly wrong, Toby discovers Jessica's fear and helps her to deal with it, in their own way.

Jessica gasped for breath. She, along with her fellow Lords of Nature, was running through the Forest Nation away from some particularly persistent Lava Gormiti. One of them had very stupidly revealed their plan to capture her. Rather than fighting the Lava Gormiti and risking Jessica's capture, the Lords had chosen to flee.

"Oh boy, these Lava Gormiti can run fast!" Nick commented, narrowly avoiding a fireball.

"Tell me about it! We've been running for so long, I can barely feel my feet!" Lucas yelped, looking over his shoulder and seeing that the Lava Gormiti were gaining on them. "How are we going to lose them?"

Toby wordlessly took hold of Jessica's hand. If she noticed, she didn't say anything. He had a plan that would work...hopefully. Ahead of them, if he remembered correctly, there was a fork in the path. He would be able to hide Jessica and Lucas and Nick could easily get to safety.

"Give up, Lords of Nature! You're only delaying the inevitable! Hand over the Lord of Air!"

All four of them looked behind them and expressions of shock registered on their faces when they saw how close the Lava Gormiti were getting. "What are we going to do? They're getting closer!" Lucas yelled, dodging a badly-aimed lava blast.

Toby looked forward and saw that they were almost at the forked road. He signaled to Lucas and Nick, subtly pointing down one fork. They both nodded, understanding what he meant. "Let's do this. On my signal..."

"...Now!" After Toby had given the signal, Lucas and Nick hurtled down one fork while Toby headed down the other, taking Jessica with him. The Lava Gormiti split their forces as they weren't entirely sure which fork would lead them to the Lord of Air.

Jessica could hear that there were at least three Lava Gormiti still following them. She wondered if Toby knew what he was doing. As though he could read her thoughts, he remarked, "I know what I'm doing. Just trust me, okay." She nodded, and with that, they sped up, destination in sight.

Meanwhile Lucas and Nick had reached an area where a group of Forest Gormiti were. Upon seeing the Lava Gormiti, they became enraged and attacked, causing the fiery soldiers to retreat. "Thank you for your help, brothers of the Forest." Lucas said, sliding down onto the ground in complete exhaustion. Nick acknowledged them by imperceptibly nodding his head, showing that he, like Lucas, was absolutely worn out.

Taking a deep breath, Toby threw himself into the narrow cave entrance and quickly pulled Jessica in too. Luckily they had put some distance between themselves and the Lava Gormiti so they had some time to figure out what they were going to do.

"Well, that was quite a run, don't you think?" Jessica commented breathlessly. She felt something squeezing her hand and, upon looking, she realised that he had a hold of her hand. A blush on her cheeks became apparent when she noticed that he'd been holding her hand the whole time and, strangely, didn't seem to feel the need to let go. Not that she wanted him to, mind you.

"Yeah," he chuckled, watching her expression. "I'm not sure how safe we'll be in here. Are you okay?" He looked at her with concern, after all he had practically dragged her through the Forest Nation.

"I-I think so." Jessica was confused. Recently Toby had been acting differently towards her, showing concern whenever she was injured, putting his life on the line to protect her. Not to mention the glares he gave any boy who so much as looked at her.

Her heart kept saying, "He loves you and you love him! Tell him how you feel!" Her head, on the other hand, was a lot more skeptical: "He's just looking out for you, like a friend usually does! Stop trying to make it sound like more than it is!"

Toby raised an eyebrow and Jessica laughed nervously, realising that her internal discussion had been a bit vocal. "Are you alr-?"

"Over here!" The shout was loud, and they both glanced toward the mouth of the cave. Thinking quickly, Toby positioned himself so that he was directly in front of Jessica, blocking her from view. "Where's your pretty little friend, Lord of Water? Don't worry, we're not gonna hurt her!"

Toby's expression was one of pure anger. "If you even think I'd tell you where she was, then you're totally crazy!"He gently squeezed Jessica's hand, letting her know that they were safe for the moment.

"Well, it seems like we don't have a choice. If you won't tell us where the Lord of Air is, maybe some time trapped in this lovely little cave will help change your mind!" With that said, the Lava Gormiti all blasted the roof of the cave, triggering a cave-in.

Toby looked up and saw rocks raining down upon them. He heard the sounds of the Lava Gormiti running away, laughing evilly. Instinctively he threw himself over Jessica in an effort to shield her from the falling rocks and also to protect her from the cave-in.

Jessica was now even more confused. He had practically risked his own life just to protect her. Toby never normally acted like this, so what was going on? She could feel his arms holding her up, his body pressed tightly against hers. It made her feel protected and safe. "What am I going to do?" She said to herself, regarding the internal argument she was having with herself.

"About what?" The question made her jump as she hadn't noticed he was listening. Unbeknownst to her, Toby had been watching her the entire time, a smile on his face. She was acting strangely lately, and he was curious as to why.

"Uh, well, I-I don't-" Perhaps it was the close proximity of their bodies but Jessica suddenly found herself incapable of speaking. This only worsened when he fixed his gaze on her, staring at her as though she was the only person in the world. Her breath got caught as he slowly leant down towards her.

However, just at the precise second he was about to kiss her, a rumble cut through the air. They both spun round and saw that the mouth of the cave was completely blocked. They were trapped.

Jessica's expression grew panicked. There was no way out, and she was alone. Well, not completely alone; she had Toby with her. Her breathing got louder and louder as she took in their current surroundings.

Not completely sure why Jessica was suddenly panicking, Toby got up, thinking that he had maybe been laid on top of her a little too long. When, however, she didn't stop hyperventilating, he noticed that she kept shooting frightened glances at the mouth of the cave. All of a sudden, it hit him. "You're claustrophobic, aren't you?"

Her reply was immediate, "No, what would give you that idea?" In Toby's head, however, it all made sense. How Jessica had always been reluctant to fight underground, how she always left her bedroom door cracked open a inch or two and how she always got slightly panicky in large crowds. Another big clue was the fact that she couldn't stand elevators.

"You don't have to be ashamed of admitting you're afraid," he told her softly. "Why didn't you tell us before?" If they had known about her claustrophobia, they never would have made her go underground as much.

"I-I guess I didn't want you all to think I was weak. I mean, you're scared of spiders but you dealt with your fear. I can't even go near an elevator without freaking out!" She sounded as though this was something she had needed to get off her chest for a while.

"Being afraid doesn't make us weak." Toby said in a wise tone. "Without fear, there would be no courage at all. People can only be brave if they face their fears. Running away from them won't help."

"B-But you're not scared of anything anymore!" Jessica protested. What Toby was saying made sense but he was probably the bravest person she knew. After all, she knew that it had taken all the courage he had to face his fear of spiders.

"Me? I'm scared of everything!" He argued, wondering where Jessica got the idea from. "I'm scared of not knowing what to do, I'm scared of being helpless, I'm scared of losing my friends and family. But, most of all, I'm scared of never feeling the way I do whenever I'm with you!"

Jessica blinked. Unless she was completely mistaken, Toby had just told her that he loved her. The thought made her heart leap as it explained the changes in him. "W-What do you mean?"

"Surely you'd noticed that I can't seem to function properly around you lately, and my first instinct is usually to keep you safe." He was right, she had noticed, but she, in an effort to hide the plain truth, had merely presumed that it was all friendship.

"Yeah, I had noticed. I just wasn't sure if I should believe it or not. I mean, up until recently, all we ever did was argue over stupid things. I mean it's all good to say you love me, but how do I know you're not just playing with my heart?"

The atmosphere was tense. Giving in to the inevitable, he leant down, muttering, "I'll finish what I started and then you'll know this is real," before capturing her lips with his own.

Jessica was immediately glad for the cave wall because her legs were not doing a great job of holding her up. Inside, her heart was rejoicing and he was all she could think about. She found herself unable to breathe, but it was for an entirely pleasant reason (in other words, it wasn't because of her claustrophobia). When they eventually broke apart, Jessica wondered how long he had felt this way. She suddenly realised that she didn't need to know; she knew he loved her and that was all that mattered.

"I promise I'll be there for you whenever you need me. After all, it's good to talk about things. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe." He promised her, holding her tightly.

Jessica smiled. "You know, you're a lot smarter than you make yourself out to be. Not logically clever, per se, but more like emotionally clever."

"Emotionally clever, huh?" Toby grinned mischievously. "I think I can live with that. Anyways I can't blast away this rock and you can't fly us out of here. I suppose we'll just have to wait for Nick and Lucas to find us."

"Stone Hammer!" There was a loud smash and the rocks blocking the mouth of the cave were smashed away.

"Wow, now that's what I call perfect tim-"

"Beloved freedom!" Jessica screamed, running out the cave and flying up into the air, performing several somersaults in mid-air. Toby followed, shaking his head, laughing quietly.

"Uh, how did you two not rip each other's heads off?" Nick asked exhaustedly.

"Yeah, you two usually can't go three minutes without arguing, let alone three hours!" Lucas added.

Toby looked shocked as he stared up at Jessica. Had they really been trapped in there that long? Winking at her, he turned to Nick and Lucas, stating, "Well, there are certain ways..."


	5. C: (Changed) LucasxGina

Description: Normally Lucas would try to avoid her, but this time he stayed. What changed?

Gina was having a bad day. To start with, her alarm didn't go off so she literally had only ten minutes to get ready for school. She raced out of her house in a mad rush and sped towards the school. It was only when she reached the gates that she realised she'd left her homework at home.

"Oh no," she groaned. "I'm definitely going to be late now." The way she saw it, she had two choices: she could go to school and get a detention for not bringing her homework or she could go back and get it, but end up with a detention for being late. Either way, it was a lose-lose situation.

Quickly deciding, she turned on her heel and started to run, only to crash headlong into someone. Picking herself up off the ground, she saw that she had crashed into Lucas. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you like that."

He smiled at her, "That's okay, I'm not hurt! Why were you rushing anyway?" So she told him everything about how badly her day had started. Lucas found Gina's company pleasant. Normally her over-the-top behavior frustrated him to no end because he didn't understand why she acted like that around him, despite his friends trying to explain.

"Anyway," she said awkwardly. "I'd better get a move on because I don't want to be too late!" She waved at him, before speeding off towards her house. Lucas stood, staring after her.

"Bye," he whispered, not understanding why he suddenly felt oddly lonely. He always left Gina and never felt bad about it. So what had changed?

_Later that day_

In the lesson, Gina mused to herself. Lucas had stayed with her, instead of making some excuse to leave. Could it be possible that-that he liked her? She didn't have a clue what to think.

Jessica nudged her. "Something on your mind?" Gina looked at her in shock; was it really that obvious?

"N-Not really..." Gina began, then stopped when Jessica gave her questioning gaze. She knew there'd be no point in lying so she said, "Okay, so I was going to be late so I was rushing. I got to the gates, realised I'd left my homework and went to get it. But, before I could, I crashed into-into Lucas!"

Jessica looked at her. "So that's what this is about? Oh, Gina..." she regarded her friend sympathetically.

"You don't understand!" Gina said frantically. "He never stays with me. He always leaves. I'd gotten used to it, but now... What's changed?"

"You have," Jessica responded. "You've changed the way you act around him so that he actually enjoys your company rather than dreading it. By acting normally, you're showing him what a great person you are, and soon enough, he'll like you for who _you _are."

Gina looked thoughtful. Could Jessica be right? Did Lucas really see her differently all because she hadn't acted like a girl with a major crush? She continued to mull this over in her thoughts as the lesson continued.

Lucas stared down at his exercise book. He couldn't concentrate on the lesson at all. In fact, he wasn't even sure what the lesson was about. His mind had been elsewhere ever since the encounter with Gina.

"Are you okay?" He looked up to see Nick and Toby staring at him in concern. Realising that it was Nick who had spoken, he nodded. The two brothers gave him a look that said, "you'd better come up with something better than that because we're not buying it." He sighed, knowing they weren't going to drop it.

"Alright, don't laugh or anything but..." He told them, before explaining everything that had happened earlier that day. They both stayed quiet as he spoke, only moving when he burst out, "So what's wrong with me? I've never felt this way about her before... What's changed?"

"You've changed..." Nick began and Toby nodded in agreement.

"Nick's right. You stayed long enough to see Gina for who she really is, rather than the person she acts like whenever you get within a 2 metre radius. There's nothing wrong with you at all..."

"You just prefer her company when she's not all over you and acting like a girl obsessed. You like her for her because you know how good it feels to hang out with her when she's just being herself" Nick finished wisely.

Lucas frowned. Could what they were saying be true? Did he like Gina because she hadn't acted the way she did when she was normally near him, which meant that he actually liked her company. He had to admit, hanging out with Gina was a lot more fun when she acted like herself.

It would take them a good few months, until the school dance (to be precise), to realise their love for each other. It was then that they knew that they hadn't changed, their feelings had.

They walked hand-in-hand, simply enjoying each other's company. As long as they had each other, there was no need for them to change. They were absolutely sure that their feelings would never change; they would love each other until the day they died.


	6. C: (Cravings) JessicaxToby

Description: Time for a humorous romantic Jessica/Toby oneshot. Basically Jessica has started getting some weird cravings and Toby is having to deal with those, as well as the dratted mood swings. Set prior to Forbidden Love.

Toby stared in disbelief at Jessica. "Did you just say you wanted a cheese and jam sandwich? As in together?"

She glared at him. "Yes, I did! Now hurry up, I'm starving!" He decided, upon seeing the dangerous look on her face, that it would be best not to mention that she didn't even like cheese.

Walking into the kitchen, he sighed. The weird food cravings he could handle, but the mood swings terrified him. Only yesterday he had caught her crying over a funny advert, only for her to start screaming herself hoarse when she caught him looking.

"Shhh," he soothed, taking hold of her hands. "Getting worked up isn't good for the baby." Jessica stared at him, sky-blue eyes wide, before burying her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed repeatedly. "I'm aw-awful! What's wrong with me?"

"You're not," he told her firmly. "You're pregnant; your hormones are kicking in. There's nothing wrong with you, at least I hope there isn't."

Sighing at the memory, Toby carried the sandwich into the living room and cautiously placed it in front of Jessica, who eyed it suspiciously. "No margarine?" she asked, or rather, demanded.

"No margarine." Toby confirmed, feeling glad that at least one thing remained the same. If she had demanded margarine on the sandwich, then he really would be freaked out because Jessica couldn't stand margarine (she hated it even more than she hated cheese, which was saying something).

"I bet you're wondering how I'm eating this," she remarked casually, seeing his expression reflected in the mirror.

"It had... crossed my mind," he admitted slowly. "I don't get why you have the desire to eat foods you normally hate."

"I don't really understand it either. These cravings aren't exactly fun for me, you know."

"You'd get mad if I didn't give you them though." He pointed out, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she laughed nervously. "I don't mean to get mad, it's just the hormones, the mood swings. They're not exactly fun either." She retched suddenly and vomited into the bucket next to her. "Don't even mention the morning sickness. It's completely ridiculous. How can it be morning sickness if it lasts all day?"

"No idea," he replied. "Maybe they called it that so it wouldn't seem as bad as it was."

"Well, whoever had that idea was stupid!" she huffed. He laughed at her until her face contorted and she vomited again. He gently rubbed her back with one hand, passing her the glass of water he had thoughtfully prepared with the other.

"I don't want anything to happen to you or our baby," he told her as she slowly sipped the water. "I'll protect you both." He placed his hand on her stomach to prove his point. All of a sudden, he gasped and pulled his hand away, staring at his wife in shock. "The baby-it moved! I felt it kick my hand!"

Toby was absolutely ecstatic. In that moment, he felt like he could deal with the mood swings, constant morning sickness and the cravings. After all, it would all be worth it in the end.

"Toby, can you get me some chocolate-covered pickles?" Jessica asked.

On second thoughts, maybe he wouldn't be able to deal with the cravings. Especially if they were as weird as that. He hoped that their child wouldn't grow up liking these strange combinations of food.

"Already on it!" He called back, hunting for the pickles. At last, he found them and began to cover them with chocolate like she had instructed. He had no idea how she could possibly eat the foods she was eating; they couldn't possibly taste, in any way, nice.

"Thanks," she said, tucking into the food ravenously, even though it hadn't even been an hour since she last ate. "I know I've seemed really ungrateful at times but I'm glad you've been here to help me out. Without you, I'd have lost it several times over, and I really don't want to lose this baby."

Toby held her in his arms, comforting her. "Like I said, I won't let anything happen to you or our baby. I'll die before I let anyone hurt either of you. And you don't need to thank me, I love you, I'll always help you and be there for you whenever you need me. Wherever you go, there I'll be, even if you want to climb the highest mountain, swim through the deepest ocean, cross the thickest forest or fly above the highest cloud, I'll be right by your side whatever happens."

Jessica smiled at him. She never could have imagined his feelings for her were so strong. "I love you," she told him. "I'm pretty sure I won't be climbing any mountains right now, though!"

They smiled at one another, fingers interlaced as they held hands. They could handle another four months.

It would all be worth it...in the end.


	7. D: (Dice) LucasxGina

Description: Love is a game of chance. You throw the dice and you have a 1 in 6 chance of getting the right number. Or the right person.

AN: I hope you enjoy the different POVs. Enjoy the chapter!

Gina's POV

When you play with dice, you have a 1 in 6 chance of getting the right number. Most, if not all, people desire the coveted six; the number required to start most games.

Love is much the same. There are lots of people out there waiting for you but you just want one. It's a game of pick and choose. You have a coveted person too; he has no idea what he does to you.

You roll the dice several times, hoping for that magical six, your special guy, but it always slips away somehow. You never give up, even when things seen hopeless. You know that it's only a matter of time after all. The question is: how much time? You're not sure if you have the patience to wait anymore.

Lucas' POV

You can lay down as many cards you like but there's always one particular set you want to get. The Royal Flush, your special girl. Sometimes you catch her staring at you, her eyes shining, longing to say something.

You try as hard as you can to get your Royal Flush but it always eludes you somehow. There are only so many times you can fail. You will succeed. It becomes your mantra when things seem hopeless.

You know there are plenty of other girls out there but she is that one in a million girls; the one you love more than anything. You cannot bear the idea of her belonging to anyone else, and yet you cannot muster the courage to tell her how you feel, even though you've had plenty of chances. Time is running out.

Normal POV

You stare at each other, as though this is the first time you've seen each other. Indeed it's the first time you've ever been alone together. In that moment, you both confess the magic words: "I love you."

You place your hands together, marvelling at how they fit together like a jigsaw piece. You are both parts of a puzzle; the same puzzle that only consists of two parts. The puzzle of love. You may never understand it but at least you'll understand each other, and that's enough.

In that moment, you are no longer the magical six or the Royal Flush. You are simply Lucas and Gina and nothing will ever break you apart. Luck is finally on your side; you have found each other. The coveted six and Royal Flush so desperately wanted finally grasped. You never plan on letting each other go.

You see, love is a game of chance, and your chance was successful, because now you have the alpha to your omega, the yin to your yang. You are all of these things but you are simply Lucas and Gina, and that's how you want to stay. Forever.


	8. D: (Denial) JessicaxToby

Description: You can hide and deny it as much as you like, but your love is obvious to those around you.

Nick's POV

We were walking through Gorm, just walking. For once, we didn't have any saving the world to do. This was a relief as it gave me a chance to think about something that was confusing me.

Jessica and Toby were walking ahead of Lucas and I, and they didn't seem to be arguing, for once. Come to think of it, I couldn't remember the last time they actually argued.

Suddenly Lucas crashed into me. "Watch where you're going!" I snapped, a little annoyed that he'd interrupted my spying. Luckily, Jessica and Toby hadn't noticed anything and remained oblivious to me.

"Sorry," Lucas said, helping me to my feet. "What were you looking at anyway?" In reply, I point at Jessica and Toby. He looks at me, very confused.

"Just watch." I sigh, turning back toward the subjects of my interest. Jessica had seen some sort of flower and had grabbed Toby's hand, eagerly pointing at the flower. She started talking about how she wished there were pretty flowers of the like on Earth. What threw me was the fact that Toby actually seemed to be listening to her, rather than just laughing at her.

He took hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together. He looked deeply into her eyes, smiling at her. With his other hand, he pulled her close to him in a one-armed hug. "No flower could ever be as beautiful as you," I heard him say honestly.

Her eyes widened and she blushed, giving him a shy smile. He returned the smile before gently kissing her, causing them both to blush furiously. Lucas looked at me, "No way," he said in a hushed voice.

Now that I had seen it, I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed anything between them before now. I felt like a blindfold had been lifted from my eyes. "Yep," I confirmed what we both knew.

"To be honest, I don't know how we didn't notice this," Lucas pointed out. "I mean, they haven't argued for ages, they both get angry and upset if the other gets hurt, not to mention they've been spending a lot of time together lately." So I wasn't the only one who had noticed the changes in their relationship.

We both decided to hang back and watch them, as they obliviously revealed their feelings for each other to us. I still had trouble working out how I could have missed something so obvious. It was so blindingly obvious now, I couldn't help but recall all the times they had spent together. They were always better together than apart, dnow I knew the reason why, and they weren't even trying to hide it.

They were in love.

Later that day (Lucas' POV)

I was staying the night at the Tripp's house which gave Nick and I the perfect opportunity to interrogate Toby and find out exactly what was going on between him and Jessica.

"So..." I say, sitting next to him on the couch. We were watching movies in the living room as it was still quite early in the day.

"So?" He asks, staring at me quizzically. I try to generate some sort of response, but the words got stuck in my throat. Luckily Nick jumped in, saving me from having to reply.

"What's the deal with you and Jessica?" He asked, sitting down on Toby's other side. We both stared at him in that "we're not letting you leave until we get answers" way.

Toby's eyes widened momentarily before he replied, a little too quickly, "I don't know what you're talking about." However his reaction told us he knew _exactly _what we were talking about.

"Come on, Toby, we're not dumb," Nick sighed. "We saw what went on between you guys earlier." He looked at his brother, urging him to tell the truth.

"Yeah," I add. "There's no point in trying to hide it. It's been obvious for ages that there's more than just friendship between you two now."

Toby looked angry. I guess he kind of had the right to be, though. "You were spying on us?" He asked incredulously. We both nodded sheepishly. "Well, there's absolutely nothing going on between us. We're just friends, okay!" He said this last part rather loudly.

"Well, why do you keep getting so wound up about it if there's nothing between you?" Nick asked and I mentally cheered. "I could write a book of the things you guys do when you're near one another..."

It seemed like the last straw for Toby as he snapped frustratedly, "Alright, fine, I love her! I've always loved her! Well, how could I not? She's brave, smart, strong, beautiful and always tries to see the best in people even when they can't see it in themselves."

He looks at us as he stops yelling before quietly adding, "I kept trying to hide it from everyone, including myself. I mean, how could a girl as perfect as her possibly love a guy like me? I thought if I denied my feelings, they'd go away and we could go back to being rivals as well as friends. It didn't work, though. If anything, they grew stronger. That moment was the best moment in my life; now that I knew how she felt, I couldn't deny it anymore. So I told her I loved her. Happy now?"

"Well, what did she say?" I asked, genuinely interested to hear how Jessica had reacted to this revelation.

"She said she already knew, then told me she felt the same," he replied, frowning. "I don't see how she could have known, though. I mean, I wasn't that obvious, was I?"

Nick and I both glanced at each other. It seemed that Toby had been trying so hard to deny his feelings for Jessica that he had, unknowingly, been displaying them the whole time, ever since they first became Lords of Nature, in fact.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" He asked, looking slightly scared. Now that his feelings were out in the open, he didn't want to deny them any longer, not that he wanted to. It had been so obvious to everyone; it was almost as if he hadn't been trying very hard to hide them.

"Oh, nothing," Nick says casually. "We're just making sure you don't try to deny admitting any of this."

"Or this conversation." I add, nodding at Nick. We both laughed at Toby's mystified expression. "You were pretty obvious, if you want the answer to your question. Speaking of which, when did you know that you loved her?"

Flashback (Toby's POV)

_We all stared in horror as the dome surrounding Jessica and the Air Gormiti shrunk. This couldn't be happening; I couldn't lose her! Wait, why am I so worried? It's just because we're friends, right?_

_Nick informed us that the answer was somewhere in the Forest Nation. Lucas nodded and headed toward the edge of the citadel. Bertz told us he would remain near the dome so he could warn us of any danger._

_"Don't be worried! I believe in you... I trust you!" Somehow it felt like she was addressing me, and me alone. I place my hand directly over hers, wishing that there wasn't a stupid dome between us. The look she gave me was so full of trust and something else I couldn't quite determine. I won't let you down, I silently promised._

_Reluctantly I removed my hand. I would save her, whatever the cost. I would save her every time, even if it meant giving up my own life. I would do it all in a heartbeat; someone as pure, as perfect as her doesn't deserve a life marred by darkness. I wanted, all of a sudden, to keep that darkness from her._

_It seemed the feelings I'd noticed had grown. This wasn't interest, or even a crush. No, this was Love at its very worst and trying to deny it was driving me crazy._

End of Flashback (Normal POV)

It seemed that an important lesson had been learned. Love is a powerful thing. You can try to hide it and deny it as much as possible but it always expresses itself somehow. You cannot deny an everlasting love, you see.


	9. E: (Endeavour) LucasxGina

Description: Gina didn't know why Lucas was so bothered about the environment but she would endeavour to understand if it meant she would earn his love.

Gina sighed, watching Lucas, her mind unable to focus on much else. She had had a crush on him as long as she could remember. She was sure, however, that the crush had grown much stronger recently.

The lesson seemed to purposefully drag, the hands of the clock deliberately moving slowly. Finally, to Gina's great relief, the bell rang. Perhaps some fresh air would help clear her head. She left the classroom and headed outside, absorbed in her own thoughts.

The sound of rushing footsteps interrupted her train of thought. Looking up, she saw Lucas who had, what appeared to be, leaves in his hair. "S-Sorry," she stammered.

"Excuse me," he said awkwardly, moving to one side. He gave her a small smile that made Gina's heart melt.

"My bad," she blushed. "Say, I like your new do!" He gave her a weird look, clearly not knowing what she was talking about.

"My new-argh!" It seemed that Lucas had finally noticed his strange hairstyle. Gina had restrain the urge to laugh at his horrified expression as he tugged at the leaves.

"I mean, wearing shrubbery is weird, but if you're doing it, then it must be cool, right?" She wondered if it was an environmental protest, or just a new fashion statement.

"Y-Yeah, it's the fashion in some place. It's very new," he stuttered. "Anyway, I've got to go." He dashed off and disappeared around the corner. A gust of wind blew some of the leaves off his hair.

Gina reached and caught hold of one of the leaves. Staring at the green of the leaf, she knew that she would never quite understand his passion for the environment, but she would endeavour to understand if it meant she would earn his love.

It would take a good few weeks. Once a week, Gina would come to the garden and tend to it. No one ever saw her do this, not even Lucas. She was determined to show him that she cared about nature.

Eventually, she completed her challenge. When she presented it to him, he gave her a huge smile, too stunned for words. She turned away, thinking he wanted some alone time. All of a sudden, he grabbed her gently and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you," he said simply, taking her hand. Together they looked at the garden, at all the flowers and creatures. Gina smiled; her endeavours had reaped the reward. She had gotten close to him and now it was only a matter of time before she would completely win his heart.


	10. E: (Escape) JessicaxToby

Description: When things get too much, Jessica knows who she can turn to.

Note: This is sort of, in a way, connected to Argument.

Jessica sighed. She and her parents had had another blazing row. They told her that she kept the wrong sort of company. That wasn't what was truly bothering her though; they had insisted that she marry Nate Roberts as soon as she was old enough. For some reason, they were under the impression that she was madly in love with him, after agreeing to go on a date with him. Then again, they didn't know...

Ever since her first date with Nate, Jessica had been secretly dating her best friend, Toby. They had to keep their feelings hidden because Jessica's parents didn't approve of him. She wasn't sure how they thought Nate could compare to Toby; he was arrogant, hot-tempered and spoilt. Still, she had to keep them happy.

She walked out the house, having received a text from Toby, asking her to help with the chemistry homework due the next day. She was slightly annoyed that he had left it until the last minute, but she was also relieved to get out of the house. She knew her parents meant well, but it felt like they didn't know her at all.

In no time, she reached the Tripp's house. Toby answered the door, an expression of panic on his face. Jessica would have found it comical, had she not been so worried about her future. He looked almost as relieved to see her as she was to see him.

"I'm actually glad you invited me over," she began, looking at the wall behind him. "If I had to hear my parents talking about how great Nate is again, I think I'd have gone insane!"

He grinned at her. "No doubt they'd think you were insane if they knew you were dating me," he pointed out. Her expression grew serious at those words. "Hey, come on," he said gently. "We don't have to think about that now. Besides we've got homework to do!"

She gave him a small smile as he handed her his textbook. Toby always seemed to know how to cheer her up. She didn't have to act around him at all; she was free to be herself, the way she could never be around Nate.

As she looked at the homework, her mind was filled with thoughts of being married to Nate. She could barely hear herself telling Toby how to answer the question. In fact, it wasn't until she heard his voice, filled with concern, calling her name, that she snapped back into reality.

"Jess-Jess, are you okay?"

She looked up at him, surprised. "Y-Yeah. Why?" He gave her an odd look, before leaning over and brushing his thumb over her cheek.

"You're crying," he informed her. She looked at him, stunned, before completely breaking down, unable to keep up the front. "What is it? Has Nate done something to you? I swear, if he's hurt you, I'll-"

"It's nothing to do with Nate," Jessica began to explain. "Well, it is, I suppose." She told him everything, about how her parents thought she and Nate were a match made in heaven and, as a result, had ordered that she marry him as soon as possible. "What am I going to do?" She burst out, sobbing desperately. "I can't marry Nate! I don't love him-I don't even like him!"

Toby pulled her into his arms. "If I could marry you right now, I would," he said, looking directly in her eyes. She gasped, realising he was serious. "Don't your parents even care what you think? Have they even asked you how you feel about all this?" She shook her head. "Oh, Jessica," he sighed, holding her to him as she sobbed. He didn't have a clue what to do. Unless...

"Your parents-they're at work, right?" He asked, and she nodded slowly, clearly not understanding where he was going with whatever plan he had. "Good. Now come on!" He raced out of the door before she could ask him what he was planning.

"What exactly are you-" she panted as she caught up to him, running towards her house. "Why are we here?" He pressed his finger against her lips, silencing her.

"I'm taking you home with me. You're moving in." As she started to protest, he continued, "Look, I don't care what everyone will say. All I care about is your happiness and safety. As long as I know you're safe, I don't care what happens to me. Around him, I don't know if you will be safe; people like him get violent when they don't get what they want. I don't want you to spend the rest of your life living in the past, thinking of what might have been. I don't want you to spend the rest of your life with someone who doesn't care about you, or love you. Not the way I do." Throughout the entirety of the speech, he had sounded genuine and almost...vulnerable.

She nodded; he was right. She couldn't stay with her parents when they were forcing her into a marriage she neither wanted or asked for. She loved them, but she couldn't stay. She had to go her own way, break away while she was still free. Together they packed as much of her things as they could possibly carry between them. It was lucky her parents always worked long hours because it would take an insanely huge amount of time and effort to get all the stuff back to Toby's house.

_Later that day (at night)_

Jessica laid on Toby's bed, his arms wrapped around her protectively. His parents, understandably enough, were surprised when they returned with, what appeared to be, all of Jessica's things. They were shocked when they learnt the reason behind it and told Jessica she was welcome to stay with them. At first, they had strongly protested against Jessica sleeping in Toby's room, but they eventually relented upon realising that Jessica couldn't sleep unless Toby was there.

"Thank you," Jessica yawned sleepily. Toby smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Anything for you."

She blushed slightly, ducking her head, a shy smile on her lips. "You know what you are, Toby?"

"Extremely handsome, absolutely incredible and the only person you'll ever love?" He guessed, a grin on his face, as he ran his fingers through her silky-soft hair, inhaling the scent of strawberry and rose flavoured shampoo.

"Well, yeah, I suppose," she said, pretending to deliberate the issue. "But what you are is my escape. I don't have to pretend around you." He cut her off by kissing her sweetly, proving her point.

"And that's why I love you."


	11. F: (Flowers) LucasxGina

Description: It's Valentine's Day and Lucas, having realised his feelings for Gina, wants to get the perfect present.

Lucas never paid much attention to February 14th. For years, it had just been like any other day. Now, however, it was of much more significance. He was slowly developing feelings for Jessica's friend, Gina, and the idea of giving her a gift to let her know how he felt was vivid in his mind.

The problem was, Lucas didn't have a clue what the perfect gift should be; after all, chocolates and jewellery were so cliché. He had been pondering over this for a week ( yes, a whole week!) and still hadn't come up with anything.

All of a sudden, it hit him. In the past, flowers had special meanings. Since Valentine's Day was supposed to be special and mean something, Lucas figured that flowers would be the perfect present; they would certainly be a gift true to his heart. With the idea firmly planted in his head, he decided to go to Jessica and find out if Gina had any allergies to flowers.

Later on, Lucas sat in his room. Jessica had told him that Gina wasn't allergic to any type of flower, but she had demanded to know why he needed to know. Therefore he had been forced to tell her the truth; after swearing her to absolute secrecy. She had promised she wouldn't say anything to Gina.

The next day, Lucas woke up early. Normally, on Valentine's Day, he would sleep in but now that he had something to anticipate, he couldn't possibly stay in bed. He practically rushed down the stairs and out the door. Time to put "Operation Valentine's Flowers" into action.

Once he had collected all the flowers he needed for the bouquet and arranged them, he went to Gina's house and left the flowers on the doorstep with a little message, "Gina, you are special to my heart like these flowers." He hid himself behind a hedge and waited for her to come out.

Gina opened her front door and was about to step out when something compelled her to look down. Lying on her doorstep was a bouquet of flowers, all in perfect condition. There were yellow chrysanthemums, forget-me-nots, gardenias, hyacinths, lilacs, pansies, pink roses, red and yellow tulips.

"Who could these be from?," she wondered before seeing Lucas hidden behind her hedge. She couldn't believe it. Lucas had sent those flowers. She brought them to her nose and inhaled their sweet scent. She supposed it should have been obvious, though. "Thank you for the flowers," she called out.

She smiled as Lucas practically fell out of the bush and stumbled towards her. "Y-You like them?" He asked, staring at her as though she were the only person in the world. She nodded, smiling at him, suprise having rendered her speechless. Lucas smiled and added, " Did you read the message?"

Gina finally regained the ability to speak and replied, " I was just about to, actually." She picked up the note and read it. Her heart caught in her throat, "Oh, Lucas," she gasped.

He looked at her nervously. This was it; there was no going back. "Gina, I-I love you." He watched her closely, as she took in what he had said. All of a sudden, he felt her arms wrapping around him tightly.

"Lucas, I-I don't know what to say," Gina stammered. She couldn't believe that, after years of trying to get him to notice her, it had finally worked.

"Say that you love me," he suggested thoughtfully. He knew she loved him but he wanted to hear her say the words.

"I love you, Lucas."


	12. F: (Fragile) JessicaxToby

Description: Their hearts had been weakened by everything that had happened to them, but Jessica and Toby knew that, as long as they were together, they would be strong enough to make it through anything.

Jessica woke up gasping. Once again, her sleep had been disturbed by a nightmare. Ever since she had been rescued from Magor's clutches, she had nightmares constantly.

"Bad dream?" Toby asked sleepily. She nodded, feeling bad for waking him up. After all, he got just as much sleep as she did, thanks to the constant nightmares. It was the same routine each night. If one of them had a nightmare, the other would comfort them, and vice versa.

"I-I thought they'd stopped," she said in a small voice. "But I can't even close my eyes without remembering everything that's happened." Jessica felt Toby's arms wrap around her, hugging her to him comfortingly. She began to feel better and yawned slightly.

"Somebody wants to go back to sleep," Toby commented, yawning himself. He glanced at his clock and saw that it was early morning, too early to get up. He laid back down, his arms still holding Jessica closely. In moments, they were both asleep again.

Within half an hour, there was a yell of "Jessica, no!" Jessica woke up at this, as Toby grew panicked in his sleep. "No, leave her alone!" He cried out.

"Toby," she said. "I'm here, right beside you. Everything is alright, I promise. I'm safe." Eventually he opened his eyes and looked at her; she was there beside him. He felt her hug him, partly in comfort and partly to remind him of her presence.

He sighed. Normally, when he had nightmares, he could usually just ignore them and go back to sleep, but these ones plagued him every night, ever since Jessica had been kidnapped. "I'm alright," he lied. In reality, he was still terrified. They might have defeated Magor, but that didn't make them completely safe.

Jessica looked at him, knowing full well he wasn't alright at all. She gently kissed him, saying, "Well, I'll be here if you need me, I promise." For the second time, they both prepared to go to sleep.

"Good night," Toby said softly, forgetting that it was, in fact, morning. He rolled onto his side and gazed at her, taking hold of her hands.

"Good night," Jessica replied, smiling at him. Just as they were about to fall asleep, she added, "Can you hold me?" He nodded and wrapped his arms around her, before laying back as sleep soon consumed them both.

Jessica woke up several hours later. To her great relief, the sky was now sky-blue rather than midnight-black. She poked Toby's shoulder, "Wake up, Toby," she said, grinning as he swatted at her hand, before rolling over.

"Just five more minutes, Mom," he blinked his eyes open and saw Jessica's grinning face. "Oh," he said, cracking a grin of his own. "So that's how you wanna play it, huh?" Jessica gulped as he approached her slowly. Instinctively she moved back until her back hit the wall behind her. Her face fell upon realising he had her trapped. Judging by the smirk on his face, he knew it too.

She looked around, trying to find an escape when all of a sudden, he leapt on top of her and started tickling her mercilessly. "Toby," she gasped, trying desperately to avoid his fingers and failing miserably. "Stop it please!" Toby laughed at her attempts to evade him.

In a swift movement, he somehow managed to flip her underneath him and pinned her to the mattress, a grin on his face that soon faded when his eyes met hers. Toby could never look at her and not find her beautiful. He wanted to always have her by his side; the thought of losing her terrified him and he had almost, thanks to Magor, lost her forever.

Jessica looked up at him. She couldn't help but be grateful to him, as he had helped her through everything. There had been times when she had been ready to give up, but he never let her, knowing that she wanted to fight.

They had been weakened by everything that had happened to them over the year. They wouldn't have been lying if they had said they needed the other. The dark events had made them fragile; the constant nightmares were proof of that. It was why they needed to be together. When they were apart, they felt weaker, more liable to break. It was only when they were together that they were at their strongest.

Their paths may have been littered with many shadows but Toby and Jessica knew that, as long as they stayed together, they could overcome their fragility and face their demons side by side. It is only the deepest bond that will triumph against doubt and fear. If they stay together, and remain strong, their hearts will remain pure, and their weaknesses will become their strengths.

A fragile heart can be strengthened with the help of another, whose soul is also torn. Jessica and Toby are clear examples of this. They may have faced many hardships but facing them together allowed them to surpass the dark events they have had to face. Their love made them a force to be reckoned with; their desire to protect each other made them deadly to their enemies. The fear in their hearts was vanquished with the knowledge that they always had each other. That was enough for them to stay strong together.


	13. G: (Game) LucasxGina

Description: Love is just a game. You have just as much chance of succeeding as you have of failing. The memories of winning will stay with you forever, just like him.

Gina's POV:

When you come to think about it, love is just a game. You first met Lucas not long after you arrived in Venture Falls and, though it would take a good few years for you to switch the console of love on, you had an interest in him from the first sight.

Battling the enemies in the game was like you fighting through a crowd of students just to catch a glimpse of him as he left with his friends. It wasn't enough, though. You needed more than just mere glimpses at the end of the day. You craved to talk to him, even if it was only one word you spoke to him.

In games, there are situations where you have to talk to other characters, who often need your help with something. You ask your best friend, Jessica (who also happens to be friends with him) to ask him to talk to you. You know you should really try yourself, but he seems to do all he can to avoid you. All you want is to speak to him; you want to be brave enough to tell him about your feelings but the doubt in your heart is growing stronger. You're not sure if you have the strength to keep your feelings to yourself much longer.

You can often bump into characters unexpectedly within games. This happened to you one day when you quite literally bumped into him on the way out of school. You blushed and apologized, before leaving. Afterwards you were kicking yourself at not being able to speak more than a few words to him. Whenever he gets close, you lose the ability to function.

Fighting against a boss is similar to your battle to win his heart. The characters want to end the suffering of their land and you want your love to be returned. Both these ventures require determination, something you have in spades. You do everything in your power to make him see just how much he means to you, just as the characters do everything they can to defeat the tyrant threatening the tranquility of their world.

The victory theme that plays when the characters are victorious in battle is reminiscent of the feeling you had when he kissed you for the first time. You weren't sure how it had happened but you were walking down the street, pondering over some unimportant tgoughts. Suddenly you heard running footsteps and panting behind you. Turning, you saw him running directly toward you. You can't quite remember what you both said, but you remember him telling you that he really liked you, before he kissed you. It was like winning a thousand battles, each of them worth fighting.

Love is a game. You start off, not knowing much and not having much experience. Over time, it grows. You can succeed or fail but the memories will always be there. Win or lose, you would always love them. Many battles would have to be fought along the way, but the feeling of knowing you have succeeded in capturing their heart is similar to the feeling of completing the game. Love doesn't always have a happy ending, though. One wrong move and it could be...

Game Over.


	14. G: (Grateful) JessicaxToby

Description: You are grateful to them for a lot of things but mainly because they were there when no one else was.

Jessica's POV

You are grateful to him for more reasons than you can count. You never thought you would find yourself feeling this way about anyone, especially not him. Now you can't imagine not feeling that way and it scares you when you remember how easy it would be to forget your feelings, pretend they never existed, and move on with your life.

First of all, you are grateful to him for always having your back, no matter what the situation. Whether you're on Earth or in Gorm, lately you've noticed that he always tries to keep you safe, often endangering his own life. His panicked yell, whenever you come under attack, tells you that he will not let you down.

Next, he always seems to know when to joke around with you and when to be your shoulder to cry on. You often wonder whether he can read your thoughts because he often seems to know what you're thinking and feeling.

Also, he would do anything to keep you happy. When you came down with the flu one time, he volunteered to stay in the Primal Pad with you and take care of you, despite hating having to stay there. It must have been tedious but he didn't complain, not even once.

There had been many times when you had been thankful that he had been there to catch you when you fell. You would trust him with your life because you knew he would never let you down.

Most of all, you were grateful to him for seeing past all your flaws and loving you, despite the mistakes you made. Because of this, you will always be grateful. You had let him into your heart and you were thankful because he didn't smash it to pieces. Instead he treated you with all the love and support you gave to him.

Toby's POV

There are far too many reasons for why you are so grateful to have her in your life. You are so close that you cannot imagine being without her, and you do not want to be. It had taken a while for you to figure it out, but you knew that your heart would always belong with her.

First of all, you were grateful to her for never letting you think the worst of yourself. When you blamed yourself for abandoning your people, her encouraging words helped. She would never let you blame yourself for anything.

Next, she acts almost like that little voice inside everyone's heads that tells them whether they should do something or not. At times, due to your impulsiveness, you would probably have gotten into a lot of trouble in Gorm, if not for her. Thanks to her quick thinking, she ensured that you never did anything too drastic.

Also, she never seems to mention anything about you volunteering yourself to help out each time her orb gets cursed. You are grateful to her for allowing you to help her without asking the reason why, even though she is smart and could easily figure it out without consulting you, because you cannot bring yourself to admit your need to protect her.

There had been plenty of times when you have done or said something you regretted. She always knows that you don't mean those things. When an argument between you and Nick spiralled out of control, she was the only one who supported you, even though you were to blame for starting the argument in the first place. You were grateful because you knew you had her support.

Most of all, you were thankful because she was, quite possibly, the only person you trusted more than yourself. You had let her into your heart and you were grateful because she had proved countless times why she was destined to be by your side.

Normal POV

The main reason they were so grateful to have each other was because, at times, each other was all that they had. They would both, in a heartbeat, rather die than live apart. They were grateful to each other because they were a perfect balance. They knew practically everything about each other, which often turned out to be quite useful. Finally they were grateful to have each other because everything they had been through made them vulnerable. They needed each other to be strong.

As long as they were together, they would always be grateful.


	15. H: (Haunted) LucasxGina

Description: The nightmare of being alone haunted her constantly. She didn't know how much longer she could stand it.

Gina woke up, gasping, from a chilling nightmare. She had dreamt that she was walking with her friends when, one by one, they suddenly started to disappear. _He _had been last to disappear, chanting, "You'll always be alone!," before fading away.

The worst thing was, Gina was terrified her nightmare would come true. She was desperate for that not to happen. She never wanted to see those cold looks in her friends' eyes, as though they didn't even know her.

The next day, she did everything she could to make them happy. She then told them to meet her on the campus grounds. When they arrived, she began her speech.

"Ever since I arrived in Venture Falls, you guys did everything to make me feel welcome. You all befriended me when I didn't think I would ever find friendship. Now I cannot imagine life without any of you. I just wanted to say thanks for always being there, and I hope we'll all be friends forever."

After Gina had finished her little speech, everyone assured her that they would always be her friend. She smiled at them all, pleased that she had such good friends. She turned to leave for her next lesson as the bell was about to ring.

"We'd better get to Biology," she heard Nick addressing the others. "The bell will ring in a few minutes."

"I suppose you're right," Toby sighed. "You coming, Lucas?"

"In a minute," Gina thought Lucas sounded a little distracted. "There's something I need to do first. You guys go on, I'll catch up with you."

She heard the sounds of the others leaving and wondered what Lucas had to do that was so important that he would risk being late to a lesson. She was so busy wondering that she didn't notice that he was stood right behind her. That is, until she turned around and jumped, upon seeing him stood there.

"That was some speech you made," he commented. "It sort of came out of the blue. Is something bothering you? I noticed you've been pretty quiet lately."

Gina sighed. Of all her friends, Lucas was the most perceptive. She didn't want to admit the truth but she could never lie to him. She whispered softly, "I had a nightmare" as though she were afraid that admitting it out loud would make it real.

"What was it about?" He asked her gently. In a trembling voice, she described the nightmare that had haunted her during the past week. When she finished, she let out a tiny sob.

All of a sudden, she felt his arms wrap around her in a comforting hug and she looked up at him, eyes wide in surprise. "We promised we'd always be your friend, didn't we? Now I promise that I'll never leave you alone. I will always be with you, no matter where I am."

Gina smiled at him, knowing that Lucas always kept his promises. It felt good to know that she had friends that she could always rely on, especially in times of trouble.

That night, the dreaded nightmare failed to make its appearance. For the first time in a week, Gina found herself being able to sleep peacefully without being haunted by that horrible nightmare.

All it had taken was his support.


	16. H: (Hidden) JessicaxToby

Description: She had tried so hard to keep her feelings hidden so nothing like this would happen. Now he was in danger and it was all because she had failed to keep her love inside.

AN: This is based on a dream I had about The Passageway, so I apologize if it's a little weird. Also, thanks for the views and I know I'm bad at updating, but I have a lot to do since exams are starting soon. Anyway enjoy!

Jessica flinched as Magor drew closer to her. "We'll have such a good time when your friends arrive, won't we?" She gasped, realizing that Lucas and Toby were now in grave danger, and moved away from him. "_Especially_ the Lord of Water." Her eyes widened as Magor grabbed her, and she struggled as he spoke in an angry hiss, "I know your feelings for him, how you long for him to notice you and how you wish you could tell him."

"You're lying," Jessica began, her voice trembling, not with fear but with anger. "I swear if you hurt him- them, I'll-" It took her a few seconds to realize that she had just played right into Magor's hands and revealed that she did, in fact, have feelings for Toby.

Magor laughed evilly. "What a shame, Lord of Air!," he said in a mock sympathetic tone. "You tried so _hard_ to hide your feelings but I see it all! I see how you look at him, how you always try to protect him and how you always call his name when you're in danger. I see it all, and when he and the Lord of Forest arrive, they will be subjected to the same fate as the Lord of Earth. After we've had a bit of fun with your _friend_, of course!" He swept from the room dramatically, leaving Jessica curled up in a ball, wondering what had gone wrong.

Flashback:

_Nick and Jessica raced toward their orbs, floating there tantalizingly, without wondering about the possibility that it could be a trap. Jessica stretched her hand out toward her orb, her fingers about to brush the surface when suddenly she felt herself being grabbed and moved away from her orb. Looking up, she saw she was in Magor's clutches and he had a particularly evil smirk on his malevolent face._

_"Not so fast, Lord of Air," he spoke In that chilling, evil tone that frightened Jessica, though she would never admit it out loud. "I have other plans for you." Jessica shuddered, not knowing what he meant. Behind her, there was a bright flash and a yell, before she heard footsteps and what sounded distinctly like Nick's voice but it sounded wrong, almost evil. She forced herself out of Magor's grip and turned round, coming face to face with Nick and what she saw almost made her scream._

_Nick had, for lack of a better description, transformed into a Lava Gormiti, the garish orange replacing the yellow that represented the Earth element. She turned toward Magor and yelled, "What have you done to him? Change him back!"_

_Magor shook his head, commiserating her. "Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that. It would ruin my plan, you see." He turned to Nick and spoke, "The other Lords of Nature will be here soon. Go and greet them, my soldier!" Nick nodded and left, his movements zombie-like, without even looking at Jessica or giving any sign that he even recognized her._

_"Why are you doing this?" Jessica demanded angrily. She didn't have a clue what Magor was planning but she wasn't letting him execute it._

_"Now that _would _be telling!," he let out a harsh laugh. "You'll find out when your friends arrive!"_

End of Flashback

Toby and Lucas landed with a thud outside the inner entrance to the volcano. They quickly discovered their friends' footprints and followed them until they reached a chamber with their orbs. They hi-fived, grins on exhilaration on their faces as they raced toward them. However Toby couldn't shake the niggling feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was very wrong.

Looking at the orbs, he saw that one of them, Nick's, had turned lava in color. Eyes wide with horror, he yelled, "Lucas, don't touch the orbs, they've been bewitched- Lucas, no!" Toby realized that he had been too late in warning his friend as Lucas' hand closed around his orb. There was a flash of bright light and when it cleared, Lucas the Forest Lord was gone. In his place stood a Lava Gormiti version of Lucas, his eyes glowing orange.

Toby backed away, being careful not to turn his back on Lucas, in case he attacked him. Suddenly he felt a pair of arms grab him from behind. "Master Magor requires your presence!" Toby's heart thumped as he recognized his brother's voice, but it sounded tainted, evil. A second pair of arms grabbed him and Toby, knowing he would not be able to overpower them as they were both physically stronger, found himself being marched to another chamber by Nick and Lucas.

On the way there, Toby found himself vaguely wondering about Jessica. Her orb hadn't been lava colored, but perhaps Magor had found another way of bending her to his whim. He hoped that she was safe, at least. He doubted he would be able to take on Magor alone.

Jessica looked up as she saw them enter. To her horror, she saw that Lucas had also been transformed, but, to her utter relief, Toby had not. Her eyes met his and she saw the relief she felt reflected in his ocean-blue eyes. He wrestled himself out of the vice-like grip Nick and Lucas had had him in, winced momentarily, before rushing toward her. She wasn't aware that she, too, had started moving until she felt his arms wrap around her and heard his expression of surprise. "Jess, I'm okay-you're okay! You're not cursed!" The relief in his voice was obvious, like the fact that Nick and Lucas were standing like sentinels at the entrance to the chamber, as he hugged her, hope filling his expression.

"I-I have to tell you something," she began, trying and failing to look into his eyes without blushing. "There's no point in trying to keep it hidden now, after all." Toby looked curiously at her, clearly wondering what she was saying.

"What do you-" he began.

"I won't blame you if you laugh at me, hate me for eternity or refuse to speak to me forevermore." Jessica said in an uncharacteristically small voice. Toby frowned and promised that he wouldn't dream of doing any of those things.

"I-I" The words seemed to be stuck in her throat. She could feel them rising up, as though she wanted to shout them out but then they got caught. It also didn't help that he still had his arms wrapped around her, which wasn't helping her concentration at all. She took a deep breath before it spilt out, "I love you. Now go ahead. Laugh. Do whatever you want."

She gulped as Toby caught her chin with his free hand, his other still wrapped around her waist, and tilted her face towards his. "Oh, Jess, don't you see?" he said softly. "I love you too." This said, he leant down and placed the gentlest of kisses on her lips. If the situation they were in wasn't so dire, Jessica thought she might have done a happy dance. Instead she had to make do with flinging her arms around him, feeling as though nothing could take this moment from her.

"When we make it out of here, will you-" Evil laughter cut Toby off in the middle of his question. Jessica noticed numbly that Toby had said "When" rather than "If" and wished she shared his confidence. To tell the truth, she was terrified. As far as she knew, Magor had never killed anyone, but she was sure he wouldn't hesitate to kill them, if he was given the chance.

"You know, Lord of Water, you may not be as unintelligent as you appear to be. I must say I did not intend for this to happen. Still, it was rather a pleasant surprise when you fools laid your feelings out in the open for me!"

They both gave each other horrified looks as it dawned on them that , by admitting their true feelings they had kept hidden for so long, they had given Magor exactly what he wanted. Toby glared at Magor with rage, stepping slightly in front of Jessica to protect her. "Our feelings are not yours to control!" he began angrily. "We will find a way to reverse what you've done to our orbs. You will _not _triumph this time-we won't let you!"

Magor chuckled evilly. "I think it will take more than the two of you to stop me! Do not try to fool yourselves into thinking you can win!" He then turned to Nick and Lucas and commanded, "Get them!"

As Nick and Lucas approached them, Toby felt trapped. He couldn't attack his own brother and his best friend! All of a sudden, he felt his feet leaving the ground and realized that Jessica was flying him as high as she could, as far from their friends as possible. When they landed, she looked around and said, "That should give us enough time to contact Old Sage and figure out what we're supposed to do."

Toby smiled at her as he traced the portal symbol that would summon Old Sage. "And whatever it is we have to do, we'll do it...together."

AN 2: In regard to the request I received in a review, I will take it into consideration, but please be patient as I have exams coming up very soon which means I may not be able to update as much. Thanks for reading this chapter and sorry for the abrupt ending but this was the part where I woke up and I didn't want to rewrite the whole episode!


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